Steam ARG Points to ‘Portal 2’ Hints?

Steam players will have a notice a new discounted bundle available on the service known as the “Potato Sack”. The package contains many already classic downloadable titles (including Killing Floor, The Ball, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Super Meat Boy, and Tiki Tori), but gamers have found there is more to the bundle than meets the download queue.

The thirteen games included in the “Potato Sack” have had new bits added; from extra levels, character models, and more; most referencing one Valve work or another, especially Portal. The common thread have had many believing that the completion of all games will provide clues for the upcoming Portal 2.

The most obvious is in the game Cogs, where entering “potato” on the main screen unlocks a new level dubbed “<Test>”. The level contains some very sardonic comments from the in-game AI, harkening to Portal‘s acerbic GLaDOS. The mysterious level eventually brings the score down to zero, at which point weird symbols appear on screen. Other games in the bundle also are reported to have nonsensical glyphs, leading others to believe its either a to-be-decoded message for Portal 2, or at least a funny nod to the notion of the malignant AI getting closer to its goal of world domination. Starting such a megalomaniac plan through Steam just makes sense.

For those interested, all information currently known about the “Potato Sack” secrets can be found on the ARG’s unofficial wiki.

Are all these ARGs doing their job and getting you interested, E-Gs? Or is all this real-world follow-up too much work? Let us know in the comments section!